My story of design started over 35 years ago.  As a child I used grid paper to map out my dream house floor plans.  I loved dollhouses and redecorating my room.  I loved doing anything creative, I made home movies, prepared skits and plays and even started small craft businesses.  I was active in sports and theater.  I loved being around friends and even got along with my older brother from time to time.  After high school I attended Colby College in Waterville Maine, what I believe is one of the most beautiful places in the world.  Small school, small classes, it was the right spot for me.  My passion for learning about people and continuing my creativity lead me to a major in sociology with a minor in studio art.  My friendships were reaching milestones, my brother was one of my best friends and my parents gave me the gift of travel and opportunity. After college I still wasn’t sure who I wanted to be. I worked in after-school education for a couple years.  Curious of what else was out there I thought back to my childhood passions and decided to see what architecture was all about.  I landed a job as an administrative assistant at Flansburgh Associates. I valued the structure of the corporate world that embraced peoples individuality. It was the year 2000 and “interior design” was a brand-new term, at that point there were architects and interior decorators.  This was my ah-ha moment, as an interior designer I could merge my love of sociology and art.  The study of society and the spaces they inhabit.  Driven by excitement, I applied to a graduate interior design program.  Upon my acceptance I hit another roadblock.  Was I ready for this? I knew this was the career I wanted but the idea of committing to it felt so permanent. I wanted one last moment of freedom.  I packed up and moved to Sydney Australia for a year. I waitressed, camper-vanned the coast, jumped out of a plane and had the adventure of a lifetime.  When I returned home, I started my path towards my master’s degree in interior design.  The path had its twists and turns, but all the while I loved what I was doing.  I was happy to be up all hours of the night working through design problems. My final year at New England School of Art and Design I studied nonconformity and the roles that we play in our lives.  I wanted to challenge the expected through design.  This was a true culmination of my love for sociology and design. After graduate school I was fortunate to spend my first couple years with two inspiring women in design. The women of Parker Torres design invited me in as their third employee as they set on the journey to start their own firm after 20 years in the industry.  Their guidance and support led me to my next job.  I spent eight years building a second family as a retail designer for Bergmeyer Associates.  I never expected to be a professor and teach. An opportunity found me and since 2012 I have been able to share my passion and immerse myself in the amazing creative brains of students. In that time I became a mother, stepmother, wife, watching my kids explore their individual creativity is inspiring. I was blessed with female role models in my life from my mom to my professors to my friends and my colleagues.